1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to radio and television broadcasting systems and more particularly to apparatus for originating and processing for broadcast audio and video program content via the Internet or other communications network.
2. Background of the Invention and Description of the Prior Art:
The concept of multiple remote, program originating terminals transmitting live program content via Audio over Internet Protocol (AoIP) is known in the art. In a typical system, the remote terminals feed program content to a host station or server for distribution or broadcast to recipient receivers. The remote terminals for providing these services are generally technologically advanced and therefore tend to be expensive, limited production units that require technically trained personnel to install and use them for their intended purpose. Many of such conventional units, though capable of high quality audio content, tend to be limited in bandwidth to the minimum necessary for the program content expected to be processed by the equipment.
In certain systems that contemplate originating and processing audio and video program content of the highest quality in real time and requiring very high bandwidth, there are no known practical choices for remote terminals available at reasonable costs, in particular in a system that contemplates scores of remote locations or even several hundred remote locations, all feeding live content to a host server for broadcast in real time. The costs of currently available equipment are prohibitive for systems comprising hundreds of remote stations or feeds, for example including news gathering organizations that broadcast live reporting at numerous distant locations.
Another example is a large scale sporting event such as Olympic competitions, championship matches or tournaments, etc. Further, it is impractical to expect all personnel manning the remote locations to be technically proficient in installing or setting up their remote terminal equipment in preparation for producing a live report to a central host location for integration into a broadcast program or network. Moreover, such remote terminal units must be fully compatible with the receiving equipment in bandwidth, and in the ability to receive and coordinate live feeds in real time from hundreds of remote units. In addition, like the remote units, it would be an advantage if the central receiving equipment may be operated with a minimum of technical support in supplying live program feeds to a variety of distribution and broadcast networks.
A principle disadvantage of prior art remote broadcast terminal equipment is its complexity and requirement for trained personnel, and its high cost that prohibits its use in a system or network consisting of hundreds of mobile and readily reconfigurable remote terminals. Further, many of the prior art devices have excessive latency—a disadvantage in systems where high quality of both audio and video is essential, as in systems processing live program content originating from many locations. Moreover, since it is impractical in such systems to have trained technical personnel at every remote, the equipment must be easy to set up and use to provide live feeds operated by non-technical operators.
There is thus a substantial need for remote terminal equipment that has very high bandwidth capacity in processing audio and video program, is configured to be plug-and-play—installed and used as a portable unit by non-technical personnel, is low in cost to permit economical manufacture and use in systems that include hundreds of remote terminals, and which can also be used in slightly modified form as receiving stations for integration into distribution and broadcast networks and the like.